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Top 15 NHL Fanbases Who Have Suffered The Most Heartbreak

The National Hockey League is for fun, games entertainment and most notably, heartbreak. You may not know it, but that's what comes to most NHL fans and teams.

Think about it. The Chicago Blackhawks, who have won three Stanley Cups in six years, still endure more heartbreak than glory, because they don't win the Stanley Cup every year.

However, there is no chance that they'll be appearing on the list of fanbases who've suffered the most heartbreak. 49 years without Lord Stanley's mug is far in the past now.

It's tough being a sports fan sometimes. It's safe to argue that the NHL has the largest amount of fanbases who classify as ones who've endured far too much heartbreak in their lives.

Considering that 12 teams in the NHL have never won the Stanley Cup, it's hard for other sports leagues to say they have the fans who have been devastated the most.

Even Cup winners over the past two decades like the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings had to wait 30-plus years before they got their hands on a title.

Some NHL teams are on track to bring a heal to the heartache their fans have endured, but some teams are a long time away from curing it. But that doesn't matter, because so many fans have had to go with the ongoing heartbreak that they deserve to have a heal.

Now, here are the 15 NHL teams who have brought the most heartbreak to their fans.

15 Minnesota Wild

Though Wild fans are surely thrilled that they got their team back more than a decade ago, they've still gone through some tough playoff losses.

Given how Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have fixed a team that was in a mess, Minnesota's fans have gone through three consecutive seasons of losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in the playoffs.

Before that, they went five years without reaching the playoffs. Minnesota has just three playoff series victories in their history.

Not a lot for the fans to celebrate.

14 Colorado Avalanche

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Though the Avs brought their fans two Stanley Cups (in 1996 and 2001) on top of a decade of success as an elite NHL team, there hasn't been much to talk about since.

They went through a devastating seven-game series loss to Detroit in the 2002 Western Conference Final, followed by a shocking first-round upset to Minnesota the next year.

Colorado then went consecutive seasons of being knocked out in the second round. After that, years of mediocrity ensued.

In 2013-14, rookie sensation Nate MacKinnon and head coach Patrick Roy guided Colorado to a surprising Central Division title, only for Minny to knock them out in seven games again.

There just hasn't been a lot for their fans to celebrate in ages except early playoff exits, if that's rewarding for them.

13 Ottawa Senators

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Much like Minnesota, the Senators franchise is fairly new, so the fans won't be complaining about having their team one bit. Beggers can't be choosers, after all.

However, Ottawa's made the playoffs so many times and they have just one Stanley Cup Final appearance to show for which resulted in an ugly five-game loss to the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

From being one game away to the Cup in 2003, to seeing the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins combine to knock them out six times in the playoffs since 2000, their fans have gone through torture.

Not fair for the good folks of the nation's capital.

12 Pittsburgh Penguins

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As an expansion franchise, there wasn't a whole lot for the Penguins fanbase to celebrate until Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr powered them to consecutive championships in 1991 and 1992.

After that, it was years of scrutiny for a team that was on the brink of moving to Las Vegas after the lockout.

Though Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin fixed the team and made them a perennial Cup contender, multiple coaches and stars have been traded because their one title in 2009 has not been considered acceptable enough.

With Sidney Crosby battling injuries over the years, one would think the Pens' championship window has officially closed.

11 New York Rangers

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The Rangers went 54 years without a Stanley Cup before their triumphant season in 1994. Before that, no team in North American Sports other than the Chicago Cubs were going through such pain.

However, the Rangers are nearly halfway to that long drought. Despite fielding elite teams for years, they haven't been able to get another championship, even with world-class goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

The good folks of Manhattan are just waiting to throw another celebration, but the Blueshirts haven't been providing much.

10 Montreal Canadiens

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It's hard to think how a team's fans with 24 Stanley Cups to celebrate (the most in NHL history) goes through so much heartbreak.

But the Habs have the best fans in hockey, and 22 years and counting without a Stanley Cup isn't acceptable.

Montreal's had plenty of playoff appearances since their last Cup win, but they haven't made the finals at all.

That doesn't bode well for hockey-crazy fans.

9 Calgary Flames

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Like all Canadian NHL teams, the Flames have such die-hard fans that they deserve to win the Cup every year.

Of course, that doesn't happen. But 27 years is coming up since Calgary won their only Stanley Cup.

Ever since, they've had a rather struggling team that's only made one trip to the Final which was in 2004.

And they've followed it up with one playoff series victory since, which came last season against the Vancouver Canucks.

Their fans have waited long enough to see a full-time contending team, so they deserve to get one.

8 Philadelphia Flyers

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The Flyers do have two Stanley Cups to celebrate, but their fans haven't been able to brag about a title since 1975.

Their fans have always showed up to their games despite having a team that constantly broke their hearts in the playoffs.

Philadelphia has been so talented over the past two decades that constantly underperforming in the playoffs hasn't sat well with their fans.

And rightfully so. It's been 40 years since their last title.

7 Washington Capitals

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The Capitals have been around since 1974 and there still hasn't been a parade for their franchise.

With just one Stanley Cup Final appearance (back in 1998) it's been difficult for their fans to be pleased with their team.

As Alexander Ovechkin came in and turned around a perennially struggling team, the Capitals haven't gotten past the second round of the playoffs.

Considering how they've blown multiple 3-1 series leads, it's easy to see why their fans have been disappointed so much even though Ovie brought new hopes to the nation's capital.

6 St. Louis Blues

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The Blues are much like the Capitals; they've been through way too much heartbreak to count as a team that's been around for over four decades.

They lost the Stanley Cup three years in a row, from 1968-70 and were the victims of Bobby Orr's legendary flying goal.

St. Louis had a 25-year playoff streak from 1980 to 2004, and still failed to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

The Blues have one playoff series win since the lockout. Their fans don't deserve that, whatsoever.

5 Buffalo Sabres

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The Sabres history hasn't been much to celebrate. They've failed to ever build a consistent playoff team and they've only made it to the Stanley Cup once. And it's easy to argue that it was the most devastating Cup loss in NHL history for any team.

Brett Hull's infamous skate-in-the-crease goal in overtime brought the Dallas Stars the Stanley Cup in 1999 while the underdog Sabres were robbed of a chance to win Game 6 and possibly Game 7.

Buffalo came out strong after the lockout, making it to the Eastern Conference Final twice. Yup, you guessed it. They lost both times.

And the Sabres haven't won a series since. How predictable.

4 Edmonton Oilers

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Like the Habs, Edmonton has such a rich history that it's hard for people to think their fans haven't been immune to heartbreak.

Well, five Stanley Cups from 1984-1990 is nice and all, but to go almost nowhere in 25 years has been brutal for supporters.

Edmonton struggled for years and lost a crushing seven-game series to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

The Oilers have failed to make the playoffs since (the longest active playoff drought in the NHL). But worst of all, they've had a boatload of first-round picks over the years and they still haven't developed into a contender.

At this point, their fans probably care more about seeing a playoff bubble team right now than a Stanley Cup.

3 San Jose Sharks

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Their fans have stuck right to their team like glue over the years.

The San Jose Sharks faithful have gone through by far the worst playoff heartbreak since the new millennium.

With a Presidents Trophy in 2009 (knocked out of the first round by the Anaheim Ducks), six division titles and three Western Conference Final appearances and zero showings in the Stanley Cup Final, their fans have been devastated over the years.

Their last two playoff exits have come at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings, including the blowing of a 3-0 series lead in 2014.

With so many great regular seasons and not one performance in the big dance, things must be hard to endure at the Shark Tank.

2 Vancouver Canucks

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Some Canucks fans showed their passion a little too much during riots following the 1994 and 2011 Stanley Cup Final defeats.

Vancouver's been around for 46 seasons, but their fans have gone through either years of awful play with lottery draft picks that didn't pan out as well as devastating playoff losses.

Like the Sharks, the Canucks have had many great regular seasons, but they haven't been able to win a Stanley Cup.

Given how poorly managed the team has been, this fanbase is likely waiting another five or so years before they can even dream about possibly going deep into the playoffs.

1 Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have the second-most Stanley Cups with 13, but all of those came before the great expansion of 1967.

So they won championships with less teams. Their fans haven't had anything to celebrate since.

Toronto went through years of struggling in the '70s, '80s, and parts of the early '90s. However, from the late '90s to 2004, they had loaded NHL teams that were capable of winning a Cup.

The Leafs haven't even been to the Final since they won it all in 1967. They've made the playoffs once since the lockout, and we can sum up the heartbreak in the fact their fans saw the Leafs blow a 4-1 lead in the third period against the Boston Bruins in Game 7 before losing in overtime.

That was their one year of glory. The Leafs have struggled mightily since 2008, often being near the bottom of the standings.

It's too bad as they sell out every home game despite expensive prices and considering that their fans are not really getting their money's worth.